SAHA attempts to refurbish its tarnished image

By Nolan Hicks :
October 10, 2012

The San Antonio Housing Authority plans to use its 75th anniversary celebration, scheduled for Thursday and Friday, to try on a new coat of paint by premiering fresh branding and publicly launching a new “vision” for its future.

The unveiling marks a significant effort by the housing agency to redefine itself after years of tumult and transition marked by the successful redevelopment of the Victoria Courts housing project, federal indictments for bribe-taking, and a decade-long fight over the failed Mirasol Homes development.

“We're demonstrating that SAHA is operating in a fresh new way,” said SAHA spokeswoman Melanie Villalobos. “We have been around for 75 years and those 75 years have not been without their challenges.”

SAHA chairman Ramiro Cavazos said the rebranding would only be effective if the public could see and understand that significant changes had been made at the agency, which provides housing and housing assistance for 70,000 people in San Antonio.

“Every day, a rebranding will be challenged with present-day success and accountability,” Cavazos said. “You can't just change the look and not change the culture, and it's going to have to change holistically.”

He said he thought the agency's recent $20 million settlement with KB Home and Magi Reality over the poor construction of the Marisol Homes, a single-family housing development with 247 homes that was intended to replace a crumbling housing project, would help boost the organization's credibility with the community.

“We took on KB Homes and that was not easy to do,” he said, pointing out that the SAHA had been urged to accept a much smaller settlement.

However, Cavazos warned that the agency's recent high-profile failures could undermine their ability to redefine the Housing Authority's image in the public's mind.

Last year, SAHA faced a spate of problems including an infestation of mice and cockroaches that temporarily forced 33 families from a West Side housing project. Residents complained that SAHA had not responded quickly enough to complaints.

Additionally, in 2009, five employees were indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly steering SAHA work to contractors who were paying bribes. Four of the five pleaded guilty. The fifth was acquitted on one charge and prosecutors dropped two other charges. SAHA fired the five employees immediately after the indictment.

Cavazos said that SAHA was embarrassed by the infestation and had taken steps to ensure it wouldn't happen again. And he said the authority fully cooperated with a federal investigation of bribery allegations.

“Public perception is difficult to change, but if you start to make some changes and have successes, I think we can win some folks over,” he said.